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SUNDAY WORSHIP SCHEDULE
  
  Ilocano  8:00 - 9:30
  Divine   10:30 - 12:00
  Vesper  5:00 - 6:30

JOINT WORSHIP

9:30-11:30

(every First Sunday of the month)

FEATURED SERMON:

Discipleship Transforming the World:           through Prayers

UMM Laity Sunday 18 October 2009

Job38:1-7 (34-41), Hebrew 5:1-10, Mark 10:35-45

Good morning everyone------ and thank you so much Chancel Choir for that message through that very nice song.  I feel very blessed with your song, thank you, I appreciate it very much. You know, I was supposed to be there where brother Jun is, but he reminded me that he was the one who was here last time while I was over there doing the liturgist job.  So to be fair I’m here standing in front of you battling the cold temperature here.  The difference of the temperature from there to here is napakalaki po, napakalamig po dito, tignan niyo po nanginginig ako.  Ay sa nerbiyos yata ang Nginig ko.  I wished I could sing like Ptr Joei, so I could relax.  But since I can’t sing let me just try to tell a story, hoping it would make me relax.  The story goes like this; a Pastor has a teenage son and when the Pastor came home from church, his teenage son was eagerly waiting.  So as soon as the Pastor step inside their parsonage, the son said; hey Dad, dad, dad can we talk for a minute.  The Pastor said, sure son!  What do you want to talk about son?  Dad, I just got my drivers license and I want to discuss with you about me being able to drive your car.   Ok son, I will discuss with you about driving my car, but there are three things I would like for you to do first; no.1, I want you to bring your grades up, 2, read your bible a little more and 3^rd, get a haircut, will you!  After couple of months, he talked to his dad again, saying, hey Dad, I got my grades up from C to B average and the Pastor said, that’s great son!  I also noticed that you’ve been reading your bible, but why you haven’t had your haircut yet?  You know what Dad, while I was reading my bible there is this Samson that have a long hair, so as Moises and even John the Baptist also have long hair.  You’re right son, the Pastor replied, but none of them drives a car either son.  Pastor knows best or what!---- Anyway, thanks a lot bro, thanks for giving way bro, it’s really a privilege and an honor to be up here giving the Lords message.

Let us pray.  Lord God our heavenly Father I thank you for this opportunity that I could speak Your words to Your people.  May You be with me and Your presence be felt by everyone as Your servant speak Your words.  This I pray in Jesus name, Amen!

You know this last two or three weeks is a big awakening for our country; for one thing or another we learned how to pray and hopefully also learned how to count our blessings because of the calamities that besieged us.  I received a text message from the Sanquis to do a prayer brigade before Pepeng came.  Please allow me to share it with you all just in case you didn’t get one.  It goes like this; Dear Lord we fervently pray for your intercession so that our nation will be spared from another threatening typhoon.  Our suffering people have not recovered from Ondoy’s wrath.  Please prevent Pepeng from hitting any of our islands.  Save us from further calamities by embracing our country with your protective grace and merciful blessings.  This we ask of U in Jesus name.  Amen!  What a very nice and powerful prayer!  Thank you Tito and Sheila and I’m sure lots of people are also thanking you for starting that prayer brigade.  With that prayer although our country suffered significant damaged it’s still just minimal compared to Ondoy, considering Pepeng was supposed to be a super typhoon, much, much stronger than Ondoy.  However, comma, I think after a day when we didn’t feel much of Pepeng we get complacent, we quit praying and maybe didn’t even think of thanking God for saving us from that super typhoon.  Maybe some of us were even mocking Pepeng, saying putak ng putak hindi naman manok at walang ibubuga, parang Ngalog.  Well, we all knew what happened next.  It seems Pepeng didn’t want to leave us and decided to hang around for at least a week.  Although it didn’t cause as much damaged as it’s supposed to be if we didn’t pray with the Sanquis, still it caused considerable amount of damaged, lost of lives, properties, infrastructures, and livelihood.  It’s a hard earned lesson for all of us, we should continue praying and giving thanks and praising God.  Amen?  We should pray without ceasing as Manny Pacquiao said in one of the newspaper. He said; at patuloy tayong magdasal, kahit wala tayong problemang hinaharap.  He also said, huag natin sayangin ang pagkakataon na tumulong kung kaya natin.

As you all do, I also believe in the power of prayers, as in Mark 11:22-24 says, “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered.  I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, Go throw yourself into the sea, and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen it will be done for him.  Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it and it will be yours.------  As most of you knew if not all, early this year I asked for your prayers; in January, my nephew, Monchet had an open-heart surgery.  He had a successful surgery and a month after his surgery he was back to work, good as knew.  Thank you!  Then in early February, our eldest son Rowland Jr. fell from the attic down to the floor of their house, about 10ft. from the attic down to the floor and the initial diagnosis was he might not be able to walk again.  You could imagine how I felt at that time when I learned about it.  You see my first-born is married with a son and twin girls.  He is very active in sports, he can’t make a living doing it, but he loves playing and watching them.  He plays basketball, baseball, football, tennis and snowboarding, so I just couldn’t imagine him can’t play any of these sports that he enjoy and now they’re saying he might not be able to walk and play catch with his children again,----- like I used to do with him when he was little.  So I turned to God and pray and I also asked for your prayers, which you gladly comply.  With the help of your prayers he was able to walk after two weeks, and was able to go back to work after six weeks, though had to wear waist brace for three months.  He still wears his brace on occasion and a little stoop when he walks, but nevertheless he’s walking.  So I thank you for your prayers and I thank and praise God for answering your prayers.  I know and I’m sure our mighty God will also bless you for it.  We appreciate it very much.

In today’s Gospel Mark 10:35-36 it’s all about want….want. James’s and John’s desire for positions and power would be realized only if they willingly submitted to servant-hood.  In verses 43-44 it says; Not so with you.  Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant.  And who ever wants to be first must be slave of all.  In the last verse of today’s Gospel, the very key verse, Jesus came to this world as a servant---indeed, the servant--- who suffer and die for our redemption, as Isaiah clearly predicted (Isaiah 52:13 and 53:12) says; see my servant will act wisely; he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted.  Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong because he poured out his life unto death and was numbered with the transgressors.  For he bore the sin of many, and make intercession for the transgressors.  In Mark 8:31, the Son of man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law and that He must be killed and after three days rise again.  It means the Son of man is the ransom, meaning, “the price paid for release (from bondage).” Jesus gave His life to release us from bondage to sin and death, for, that is, “in place of”. Pointing to Christ’s human’s life saving death.  In Mathew 19:28; Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, all the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on His glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

Believing and having faith in Jesus is “Finding the Sweetness in Bitterness”.-----  When we were away visiting our children and grandchildren couple of years ago I have read an article in Washington Post, I found it very interesting, so please allow me to share it with you.  It’s about a Jewish phrase “Gam zu Letovah” it mean “Also this is for Good”.  You might have heard it, but it’s a good one anyway, so please allow me.  The story goes like this; there’s a great man named Nachum Ish Gamzu that whenever something happened to him that appeared to be bad, he would always say, “Gam Zu Letovah”.  Mr. Namchu had as a student a great Rabbi Akiva.  The Talmud, the teacher tells the following story; Once Rabbi Akiva was traveling on a journey, and he came to a city, He requested lodging, and they turned him down.  He said, “Kol Deavid Rachmanah Letav,” “which means whatever God does is for the best.”  So Rabbi Akiva went to sleep in the field.  He had with him a rooster, a donkey and a candle.  The wind came and blew the candle.  He said, “Kol deavid Rachmanah Letav”.  A cat came and ate the rooster.  He said, “Kol Deavid Rachmanah Letav.” A lion came and ate the donkey and he said, Kol Deavid rachmanah Letav.”  That night, an army came and captured the city.  Rabbi Akiva realized that had his light not blown out, had his rooster and donkey not have been killed then he too, would probably have been captured.  He exclaimed, “Kol mah sheoseh Hakadosh Barukh Hu hako letovah!”--- Whatever God does, He does for good.

Months ago when we were again visiting our kids and grand kids, my namesake son, had a job waiting for me.  He bought a steel garden shed waiting for me to assemble.  Please don’t get me wrong, I love my children and they’re good kids. I was always away, so my wife raised them single handedly, so they’re good kids.-----You have to give credits whenever it’s due!  But you know this kids, they think I’ll get bored if I had nothing to do, so for my sake, as they say, for my sake,-----they always try to find something for me to do.  Well, I learned to accept a long time ago, na kung dito sa Pilipinas Diyos ama, dun sa kanila Diyos anak na.  In other words, sila na ang nasusunod dun hindi po ba, kz ngaun po pag punta namin dun homeless na kami at carless pa,---- wawa naman kami!,---- nakikitira at nakikisakay na lamang kami sa kanila, kaya Diyos anak na po.  So, sa madalit sabi po, as a good father, who had no choice, I started working on it.  I had the platform done when he came home from work.  On the following day, Saturday, he gave me a hand putting up the walls.  We were on the last panel of the wall when the rain started drizzling, and had some thunder and lightning, but fortunately no wind, because the wind could easily topple the steel wall, since it’s not fully secured yet on the floor and the steel trusses were not up yet.  Anyway, I was outside on top of the ladder drilling the screws in while my son was on the other side holding it still, kz nga po he was still a little sore on his waist kaya I was the one on the ladder.  Anyway, I was trying to hurry cause the rain was starting to come down hard. On my way down the ladder I slid down, trying to avoid my fall I grabbed the top of the wall,--- big mistake!--- a very sharp steel edge, it ripped my left hand, had alterations and almost lost my point finger.  When we were at the hospital, bloody and in lots of pain waiting for the surgeon to put stitches on my finger I told my son, “Gam Zu Letovah.”  He said, what are you talking about Dad?  I know that’s not in Pilipino Dad.  I said you’re right son, it is Hebrew, it means; “Whatever God does, He does it for good”, Son.  He asked, what made you say that Dad?  Because, remember son, it was raining and there was lightning and thunder and I was on top of a steel ladder, holding a cordless drill made of steel and we are working on a steel shed?  If I didn’t slip on that ladder, we both could’ve been hit by lightning.  So praise God!  I will take the stitches anytime.  For about four days I kept saying “Gam Zu Letovah,” that’s every day my wife had to give me a bath because I wasn’t supposed to get my stitches wet for that long.  Had my left hand in a plastic bag, tied with a rubber band and had to raise it up while my wife was giving me a bath.  So the stitches and the pains I had to go through was well worth it.  My wife loves me after all.  Right Hon?  And I love you too Hon.

There are some amongst us who may refuse to take this lesson literally.  I can relate to that.  It is one thing to say “gam zu letovah” on stitches in the finger and it is another thing to say it when we see a child who is sick and don’t have money to buy medicine or to take them to a hospital or a loved one pass or a terrible tragedy like Ondoy and Pepeng.  We can call such people holy questioners (questioning God).  Their rationale in not accepting this teaching literally is a pious one.  They cannot bear to imagine a cruel God.  If this is a good description of what you are thinking, then I would suggest to us that we take a non-literal approach to this concept.  Instead of saying, “Everything that has happened is for the best” let us say, “We must make the best, look for the best and wait for the best.” While waiting for the best, we must pray without ceasing.  Just because we do not yet understand God’s plan does not mean we cannot pray while waiting for the best.  Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know, Jeremiah Chap 33:3

On the other hand, some of us will take a literal approach and always say;  “Everything that has happened is for the best.” I can relate to this concept as well.  But we need to always remember two caveats (things): First, we need to be very sensitive about sharing this biblical teaching with others while they are in the midst of their pain.  If we do this, our well - intentioned theology might come across as obnoxious and insensitive.  And second, we cannot allow this idea to permit us to abandon our responsibility.  Even though it is for the best, we must work hard to make that best a reality.  In James 5:13-18, it says; is any of you in trouble? He should pray.  Is anyone happy?  Let him sing songs of praise.  Is anyone of you sick?  He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord.  And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up.  If he has sinned he will be forgiven.  Therefore confess our sins to each other and pray for each other so that we may be healed.  The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.  Elijah was a man just like us.  He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years.  Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.

The question is not whether or not something is for the best.  The question is how long will it take us to realize this idea of “gam zu letovah?”  When people act with kindness and sweetness in the face of seeing another in need, then we learn this lesson that much quicker.  When we pray for someone who’s in need or grieving,--when we pray for the sick,--when we pray for someone who is taking a board or bar exams, like we do here in Baguio First United Methodist Church, it brings “Gam zu Letovah to reality.  God promises us “Gam zu Letovah,” but it is our job to show our faith, to help our neighbors and to let the world see it.  We can do that through our prayers and discipleships in actions.  As the last verse in today’s Gospel says; for even the Son of man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.  “Gam Zu Letovah” to us all!  God bless!